Fare Beater Assaulted Bronx Bus Driver, Police Say

A Bronx bus driver was assaulted by an alleged fare beater Thursday Sept. 20.View Full Caption

Dnainfo/Heather Holland

THE BRONX — A man who tried to skip out on a bus fare in Melrose Thursday walloped the driver in the face when the victim asked him to pay up, police said.

The suspect stepped on to the Bx41 bus from the rear door about 8:15 a.m. on Melrose Ave. and 162nd Street.

When the bus driver, Nelson Diaz, 53, asked for the fare, the man started to strike him repeatedly, sources said. An MTA spokeswoman said Diaz was taken to St. Barnabas Hospital with injuries to the face and jaw.

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